[보도] Schools Accused of Brewing Anti-Corporate Sentiment

South Korean companies are apparently stepping up efforts to improve their corporate image, but why does the public still harbor sentiment against chaebol and other companies?

Two university students found some clues to the answers in the education systems at schools.

''The deep-rooted anti-corporate sentiment is originated by the flaws in the nation’s business and economics education programs taught before college,’’ a new study said. It received an award in a competition of the Center for Free Enterprise (CFE).
The study, by Ryu Tae-ha and Kim Chong-sup, both from Chung-Ang University, compared business and economics education programs between Korean and Chinese schools.

It found Korean schools are less attentive to economic and business education than Chinese ones. The content of the education programs in Korea are also less friendly to the market and enterprises than those in Japan.

Korean students start learning the basic concept of economics in the third grade of middle school, while Chinese students start earlier from elementary school. Korean schools also fall behind of Chinese schools in the amount of economics classes.

The research showed the content of business and economics classes in Korean schools is less friendly to companies than those in Chinese schools.

''Korean classes emphasize the utmost goal of companies is to return part of their profits to the society rather than to seek profits,’’ the research said.

The economics classes in Korea are also viewed as having taught students in negative ways about the market economy. For instance, a Korean high school textbook said under the competition of the market economy, capitalists find it easier to accumulate wealth, while laborers become poorer, the research said.

Chinese textbooks for high school students define what an enterprise is and what it pursues, explaining an enterprise seeks profits and contributes to the distribution of resources.

Companies and the government acknowledged the research work and detected erroneous elements in the nation’s economics education programs provided by elementary and secondary schools.

In October last year, the Ministry of Finance and Economy announced it found 446 errors in the explanation of concepts or instances of anti-market sentiment in 114 elementary and secondary school economy textbooks. The textbooks contained such preposterous statements as, ''It is selfish for families to eat out’’ and ''The market is inhumane because money calls the shots.’’

Starting in March 2007, Korea’s high school students will use new textbooks that reflect suggestions from the nation’s large corporations. That may help reduce anti-market sentiment in existing textbooks.

For this goal, the Ministry of Education and the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) will set up a special committee to revise textbooks to render them more friendly to the market and corporates. The ministry and the federation will jointly step up efforts to teach economics to teacher trainees at teachers’ colleges.

Students’ Anti-corporate Sentiment

The second part of the research surveyed 414 Chinese elementary and secondary students, who are based in Shanghai, one of the most industrialized cities in China, in an attempt to compare the levels of anti-market and corporate sentiment.

The survey asked the same questions to Chinese and Korean students in October in 2003.

Asked what the most important engine of the economic development is, 46 percent of Chinese students named businesses. About 33 percent Korean students cited the government. The fact reflects Korean students have a completely topsy-turvy understanding of the role of the government and business in a market economy.

About 19.4 percent of Chinese respondents said they trust in the market economy, higher than 13 percent of Korean respondents who are confident about the market principles.

In particular, the research showed the anti-corporate sentiment of Korean students becomes deeper with aging, while Chinese students showed the opposite trend.

About 63 percent of Korean high school students said they don’t have trust in enterprises, compared with 34 percent of elementary school students who are negative about companies. On the contrary, then anti-corporate sentiment came in at 40.3 percent among Chinese high school students from 52.4 percent of elementary school students.

When it comes to the top goal of an enterprise, 47 percent of Chinese students pointed out the maximization of profits, while the contribution to the society comes first in the mind of 39 percent of Korean students.

More Korean students deserve egalitarian value than Chinese students. Some 20.6 percent of Chinese respondents said it is better if everyone lives equally even if they are poor than if there is a large income gap in a wealthy society. In Korea, twice as many or 40.7 percent of pupils agreed with the sentiment.

Award winners said Korea needs to reform business education programs to dissipate anti-market and enterprise sentiment. They also said teachers also need training to raise their understanding of the market economy as well.

By Seo Jee-yeon Staff Reporter